Russian plane catches fire mid-air, crashes in Amur; all 49 killed
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Moscow: A Russian An-24 aircraft operated by Angara Airlines crashed in the mountainous Amur region on Thursday, killing all 49 people on board, including five children and six crew members, according to local media reports.
The aircraft had departed from Blagoveshchensk and was en route to Tynda, near the Russia-China border, when it lost contact with air traffic control shortly before its scheduled landing. The plane reportedly caught fire mid-air and vanished from radar, as reported by Russia's state news agency, TASS.
Rescue helicopters later located the burning wreckage on a remote mountainside approximately 16 kilometres from Tynda. Officials from the Amur Centre for Civil Defence and Fire Safety confirmed there were no survivors, with a Mi-8 search helicopter observing the crash site. A spokesperson stated the aircraft caught fire upon crashing and noted that rescue operations were severely hindered by the steep, inaccessible slope where the plane went down.
The harsh geographical conditions of the region—characterised by dense taiga forests and swampy terrain—further complicated the rescue and recovery efforts. No distress signals were received before the aircraft disappeared, raising concerns over the cause of the crash.
Preliminary findings suggest the An-24 may have been attempting a second approach to land at Tynda Airport when it lost contact. Following the incident, Rosaviatsia and multiple rescue teams were dispatched to the area.
“All necessary forces and means have been deployed to search for the plane,” said Amur region governor Vasily Orlov.
Investigators from the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office have launched a formal probe. Recovery operations and black box retrieval are expected to begin once access to the site is possible. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
With IANS inputs
